Metaphors In The Gospel Of John

In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes a series of eight statements that include the phrase “I am.” Even when taken at face value as part of the narrative, each of these is an amazing declaration that reveals through the use of metaphor an important aspect of his character and his saving relationship with regard to humanity. They become even more meaningful when viewed within the purpose of John’s writing and from their parallels to significant passages in the Old Testament. Each statement affirms and explains John’s opening argument (John 1:1): “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Understood in these larger contexts, the “I am” statements in John are compelling evidence for the central tenet of Christianity—that

It is these declarations that incense some in the crowd, who grumble that Jesus is a mere man who does not have this authority (John 6:41–42). It is this argument—whether Jesus was merely a good moral teacher or God in the flesh—that has continued from the time of John’s gospel until today.
Bread is an effective metaphor because it was viewed as essential for life. In many cases, bread is seen as synonymous with food in general, as in the term, “breaking bread.” Beyond this meaning, it has a larger spiritual context because of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover meal, during which the Jews were to eat unleavened bread to commemorate their exodus from Egyptian slavery (Exodus 13:3–16, Deuteronomy 16:8). This allegory takes on even greater significance when Jesus establishes his ongoing memorial (Mark 14:22) before becoming the sacrificial lamb through his crucifixion.
The Light of the

By the time of his next “I am” statement, however, Jesus is recognizing that his time on earth is growing short, and he begins to prepare his followers for the crucifixion through a series of bold and hopeful declarations. He is moving beyond his battles with the Jewish leaders and is turning the minds of his followers toward eternity.
John 11 begins with the story of Lazarus. He is the brother of Mary and Martha and lives in Bethany. Jesus receives a report from the sisters that Lazarus is gravely ill but intentionally delays his travel until Lazarus has died. Once Jesus arrives, he promises Martha that Lazarus will rise again. She replies that she knows her brother will rise in the resurrection “at the last day” (John 11:24). To this, Jesus declares, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). He explains the impact of this pronouncement, saying that those who put their faith in him will rise again to eternal life, fulfilling the expectations found in Isaiah 26:19, Job 19:25–26, and Daniel